For most of us building and owning a house would probably be the biggest investment we would make in our lives, so we need to make sure that it is done properly. We constantly keep getting asked the question of how much will it cost me to build this size house in this area and while you can work out the approximate cost per square ft. it would not be possible to get the exact figure until you have the following questions answered:

How much will the land cost including all the commissions and legal fees?

How big is the house going to be?

What kind of design you have in mind? Do remember the more angles and curves, the more cost.

What method of construction would you go for? Remember some could be cheaper initially but cost more over the long term.

What kind of material quality will you be using? Basic, medium or luxury?

The cost of local contractors to do the build?

The cost of the material, shop around and pay less for quality not for cheap.

Do your homework before you commit to anything and always plan ahead.

Time Management;

It is very important that you work out the project time and the overall cost before you start. We all wish to live in a huge house that has cost us hardly anything and it is built in a very short space of time but this is not usually possible. So often we hear self builders saying we plan to move in before this Christmas but in most cases they will be lucky to move in before Christmas next year. The reason for that is that a lot of people do not plan project time properly or do not have proper agreements with contractors as far as the time they would take to finish their part of the build. It is very easy for a contractor to give you lots of promises at the beginning to get the contract but what some of them do not tell you is that they have also made contracts at the same time with other people for their projects and the result would be that you will see them one day at your site and the next day they do not show up and so on. This is called keeping everyone happy and making sure that they do not lose on any business. In some ways you can not blame them as in this day and age the market is very competitive and they have to earn their income, but as a house builder it can get very frustrating to wait for the labourer’s to show up on that day and they do not. It is also important to make sure that everyone understands what is expected of them for the job, you do not want to end up with one professional leaving parts of the job unfinished expecting the next person on the site to deal with it.

There are obviously times that you should not expect the builders to show up, for example you do not want a roofer to be on top of the roof when it is gale force 8 or 9 outside or the block layer laying the blocks in severe weather conditions as they would not be straight next day and they have to do the job again. So just use your common sense.

The following table is a guide to the process of your project and the timing should be adjusted depending on the size , Types of Construction , Building Routes, specification of your house and the weather condition:

Project Stages

Up to 1

Week

Up to 2

Weeks

Up to 3

Weeks

Up to 4

Weeks

Up to 5

Weeks

Site Clearance

x

Foundation

X

Ground Floor Structure

X

Drains/Pipes

X

DPC/Radon

X

Ground Floor

X

Wall Structure

X

Cills & Lintels

X

Floor Structure

X

Roof Structure

X

Roof Finishes

X

Chasing

X

External Doors & Windows

X

First Fixes

X

Interior Plastering

X

Interior Joinery

X

Second Fixes

X

Decorating

X

Moving

X

Remember, the above is only approximate times for an average house. For a more accurate timing discuss this with your architect, engineer , project manager or building contractor.